Scott Oliver — WeLoveCostaRica

The first six months of 2010 are already behind us and since this has been an extraordinarily good year for publicity about Costa Rica, I wanted to take a quick look back over the last six months to remind ourselves how bloody lucky we are to be living in Costa Rica:

In case you missed it, New York Times op-ed columnist Nicolas Kristoff wrote a terrific article in early January about Costa Rica entitled: The Happiest People. The first paragraph gives you all you need when Kristoff says: “Hmmm. You think it’s a coincidence? Costa Rica is one of the very few countries to have abolished its army, and it’s also arguably the happiest nation on earth.”

Kristoff adds that: “What sets Costa Rica apart is its remarkable decision in 1949 to dissolve its armed forces and invest instead in education. Increased schooling created a more stable society, less prone to the conflicts that have raged elsewhere in Central America. Education also boosted the economy, enabling the country to become a major exporter of computer chips and improving English-language skills so as to attract American eco-tourists.”

The title of Deloitte’s April 2010 report about business in Costa Rica is ‘Excellent prospects for the future of business’ and when Deloitte says Costa Rica’s business prospects are “excellent”, isn’t that great news?

Moth with it’s own fur coat..

Costa Rica was also ranked the 8th Most Stable Country in the world by The Economist, the 5th Cleanest Country in the world by Yale’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and the first country to be designated a “BioGem” by the Natural Resource Defense Counsel.

When the President of Intel, Paul Otellini says the education system in Costa Rica is “outstanding”, and speaks of his “…incredible engineering team” in Costa Rica and raves about the: “…caliber and quality of the people who work here”, that’s not just great news for entrepreneurs thinking about setting up new businesses in Costa Rica, having a polite, well educated, multi-lingual society is good for everyone living in Costa Rica, including retired people, right?

Can you believe these red legs and transparent wings?

The 2010 Global Peace Index was published by the Sydney, Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace and rankes Costa Rica was #1 in all of Central America and in July 2010 Costa Rica was recognized as the Greenest and Happiest country on the Planet by the British independent research group New Economics Foundation. “Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world and have the second-highest average life expectancy of the new world (second to Canada),” the organization said in a statement.

None of these accolades mention the perfect Spring-like weather all year round and the very amiable and attractive Costa Rican people – the Ticos – however, all of this confirms what we already know, that Costa Rica is the wealthiest, safest and most peaceful country in Central America, that Costa Rica has “excellent prospects” and is the greenest and happiest place on earth so it’s not so much of a secret anymore but maybe, just maybe there’s space enough for you…

The Violet Sabrewing hummingbird

One of our VIP Members wrote to me saying: “Scott, what you write about the cost of living in Costa Rica is too true to be tolerated. Please withdraw this article immediately or we’ll be awash in the unwashed of the Northern Hemisphere looking for a place they can survive and thrive. Can’t we just keep Costa Rica our little secret?”

Sunset from my San Jose apartment…

While the United States may still be the richest nation on Earth, it can’t claim to be as happy as Denmark or Finland. In fact, according to a new analysis of data provided by the Gallup World Poll, the relationship between overall life satisfaction and wealth may not be as straightforward as previously thought.

Looking at data collected across 132 countries, the Gallup Organization based their marks — released this month in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — on representative samples of more than 136,000 people in each country. Respondents were asked how they would rate their lives on a scale from zero (worst possible) to 10 (best possible), as well as answering a series of questions on positive or negative emotions.

See Gallup’s top 15 countries, each with a mean score between 7.0 and 7.7, HERE

Poverty Does Not Mean Unhappiness

Inside Costa Rica

Money boosts life satisfaction, but not necessarily positive feelings, study finds. A list of rankings of selected nations on types of prosperity, Costa Rica placed 4th in “positive feelings” while placing 41st in GDP/Capita.

In contrast countries like the United States, Italy and Japan, who ranked 1st, 18th and 14th, respectively in GDP/Capita, ranked 26th, 67th and 44th, respectively, in positive feelings.

An analysis of the findings from a study of 136.000 people in 132 countries suggests there is no single prescription for happiness, which depends on many factors, including local culture and expectations.

The findings from the data, gathered in the first Gallup World Poll, are published in the July issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

“The public always wonders: Does money make you happy?” Ed Diener, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Illinois and a senior scientist with the Gallup Organization, says in a news release. “This study shows that it all depends on how you define happiness, because if you look at life satisfaction, how you evaluate your life as a whole, you see a pretty strong correlation around the world between income and happiness.”

The pollsters asked people questions on a wide range of topics, including whether their basic needs were met, what kinds of conveniences they owned, and whether their psychological needs were met.

Participants were also asked about positive and negative emotions experienced the previous day, whether they felt respected, had family and friends they could count on in an emergency, and how free they felt to choose their daily activities.

Diener says positive feelings are much more associated with factors such as whether they feel respected, have autonomy, and if their jobs are fulfilling.

“Everybody has been looking at just life satisfaction and income,” he says. “And while it is true that getting richer will make you more satisfied with your life, it may not have the big impact we thought on enjoying life.”

Among findings:

* The United States had the highest income but ranked 16th in life satisfaction and 26th on positive feelings.

* Some nations such as Costa Rica and New Zealand are happier than their income levels would suggest. Costa Rica ranks 41st in income but fourth in positive feelings, while New Zealand ranks 22nd in incomes but first in positive feelings.

* Some mid-level countries such as Costa Rica do well and some like South Korea less well “in part because of the quality of social relationships,” Diener says in emailed responses to questions from WebMD.

* Denmark ranks high across categories. The country ranked No. 1 on life satisfaction, seventh on positive feelings, and fifth in income.

* Extremely impoverished countries in Africa generally scored low on various categories, but no nation came in lowest in all types of happiness.

* Self-esteem is more important to happiness in the U.S. than in “traditional” cultures.

Also, factors that influence feelings of well-being vary from country to country, Deiner says, adding that the study “clearly shows” that there is no single prescription for happiness.

Money, he says, no more guarantees happiness than cigarette smoking guarantees cancer, but they increase the chances.

In studies of poor people, researchers find that some are happy, in part because their needs are met.

“We have interviewed happy people in the slums of Calcutta and they can be relatively happy, although dissatisfied with their poverty, because they are rich in family and friends,” he says.

Money makes a bigger difference to happiness among poor people, but it takes a lot more additional money to change the happiness of a person who is well-off, Diener says.

New recycling law passes unanimously

By Mike McDonald
Tico Times Staff | mmcdonald@ticotimes.net

Nearly two years after receiving unanimous approval from the Legislative Assembly’s Special Environment Commission, The Integrated Waste Management Bill (GIR) became law on Tuesday through a vote of 51 to zero.

The new law directs funds and resources to the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Education to help promote waste management and to launch public education campaigns. It mandates that municipalities create waste management plans and penalizes citizens, companies and local governments that litter.

Sanctions range from fines to up to 15 years in prison, although jail time is reserved for serious offenses, such as deliberately contaminating a river.

Under the new law, companies that produce hazardous waste must sign contracts with treatment facilities that safely dispose of products’ harmful leftovers.

A commission of representatives from the Institute for Municipal Development, The Health Ministry and the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications will be in charge of enforcing the new law.

Costa Rica produces 11,000 metric tons of solid waste every day. Roughly 30 percent of that trash ends up in streets, rivers and vacant lots, the introduction to the new law estimates.

Since 1991, when the Costa Rican government declared a national emergency over the problem of trash disposal, 15 different bills have been presented to the legislative assembly in an attempt to solve the dilemma. None of them had passed until Tuesday.

Nydia Rodríguez, director of the recycling group Terra Nostra, said the approval of the new waste manage law is an important step to a cleaner future in Costa Rica.

“This law legally regulates the responsible management of waste throughout the whole country,” Rodríguez said in a press release. “It involves the participation and the responsibility of all the actors that make up the Costa Rican population…and makes crucial the role of local governments in their communities.”

A new ecological community, Rancho San Roque, is being developed in the foothills of the Rincon de la Vieja volcano in Costa Rica.  The developer has engaged the services of The Project Office (TPO) to manage the project; Deppat to create the master plan; and Zurcher Architects to create the architectural detail for a private residential community in harmony with nature.  Each of the 37 fully-titled lots available for purchase has at least 1.25-acres (5000M2) and incorporates sweeping views of the Guanacaste countryside, enjoying cool mountain air and rich volcanic soil.

Residents will enjoy the tranquility of country living with the convenience of modern services.  Located in Cañas Dulces – only 30 minutes from Liberia – where modern shopping, fine dining, and premium services are abundant.  The international airport in Liberia is just 40 minutes away, and some of Costa Rica’s best white-sand beaches and fishing are also an easy drive from the community.

Rancho San Roque is situated at a comfortable 1500 feet above sea level, offering fresh cool mountain breezes.  The area is host to a growing number of ecotourism facilities such as Buena Vista Adventure Center and Spa, which offers adventure sports such as canopy tours, rappelling, waterslides, horseback riding, hiking, thermal spa baths, and much more.  A high-end eco-resort, Borinquen Mountain Spa, showcases hot springs, a luxury hotel, restaurants, nature trails, and many more attractions within just minutes of the community.  The community is also located within minutes from the planned Guanacaste Country Club designed by Jack Nicklaus and being developed by a U.S. group that includes Frank Biden (Joe Biden’s brother).

“Most of the development in Guanacaste has happened at the beaches, but an increasing number of full-time expats find it to be too hot and too touristy,” said Dan Harris the CEO of The Project Office. “That is why we chose a tranquil country setting with a cooler climate for our community.  We’re in a laid-back rural area, yet still close to all modern services and amenities in Liberia.”

The city of Liberia is continually expanding with modern services.  Several banks, shopping centers and restaurants make up the town center along with the Home Depot-style hardware store called the Do It Center.  Large commercial developers are betting that Liberia becomes the business capital of northern Costa Rica, similar to the Central Valley, as evidenced by the million square-meter Solarium office industrial complex.  Furthermore, the best hospital in Central America, CIMA Hospital San Jose, has plans to build a new full-scale private hospital in Liberia.

Rancho San Roque will engage in a permaculture project to restore the pastureland, and will feature a community center with a pool and fitness center, walking trails through orchards, a greenhouse, organic gardens and aquaculture ponds.  The rich volcanic soil is perfect for gardening where the project aims to produce fresh organic vegetables, many fruit and nuts, fresh-water fish, chickens and eggs for the residents.

“Our goal is to restore the land with an edible forest and permaculture gardens producing healthy food security for residents” Harris added. “The intention of permaculture is not only to produce food, but also give immeasurable benefits to the environment while creating a beautiful and diverse landscape to enjoy.”

All environmental permitting is in place and all lots are ready to sell with clear title.  The developers are encouraging alternative energy such as wind and solar power, but are providing electric grid service in the community.  Satellite TV is readily available and high-speed Internet will be on site creating a fully connected community.

Each lot comes with a Costa Rica corporation allowing for clean transfers with low fees, and gives buyers a vehicle to obtain cell phones and other utilities.  The community is currently one of the best values in Costa Rica starting at $50,000 during the development phase. Financing is available with 40% down at 8% interest for 5 years ($20K down, $608/mth).

CONTACT US HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Retiring to a foreign country comes with many challenges. First, you must decide what type of lifestyle you desire in retirement.

Lifestyle choices like climate, cost of living, access to services (especially quality health care), quality of life, social opportunities, and distance from loved ones seem to be the most important to the average retiree.

Increasingly, it is becoming more difficult financially to retire in the United States. Although real estate prices have come down in popular retirement areas like Florida and Arizona, the cost of taxes, health insurance, food, and other necessities have skyrocketed making it very difficult for North Americans to retire comfortably in the States.

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The 2010 Environmental Performance Index has been released.  Costa Rica moved up two places this year to the third most environmentally friendly country.  The index ranks 163 countries for 25 performance indicators tracked across ten policy categories covering both environmental public health and ecosystem vitality.  Expats, potential expats, and eco-travelers should be comforted that Costa Rica continues to perform better each year, even as infrastructure continues to improve.  With the recent election of Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica will continue to move forward in a balanced way that respects its biodiversity and natural attractions, while ensuring that financial incentives are offered for the aspiring expat.  One might also ask, Is it safe to live there?  Costa Rica again scored well, registering at #9 on the list of the 10 Best Places to Live For Escaping World Conflict.  Again, Laura Chinchilla has voiced her mission to continue improving the country’s police force.  Costa Rica already records one of the lowest crime rates in the world, but the current and future administrations are dedicated to preserving the culture of peace that embodies Costa Rica.  There has never been a better time to retire to Costa Rica.  As much of the world is experiencing cutbacks due to financial and social strain, Costa Rica is only expanding.  Imports and exports are increasing, jobs are being created, and development has re-started after a difficult 2009, while real estate sales are off the chart.  CONTACT US to schedule your trip to this fantastic country.

The area around Rincon de la Vieja, Guanacaste is a richly fertile diverse location that is continuing to benefit from the growing interest in the Northwest area of Costa Rica. The Liberia International airport has brought full connectivity to the region both nationally and internationally. The center of Liberia is full of shops, restaurants, and all modern conveniences. The small town of Canas Dulces is just 30 minutes from modern development, and yet is located in the foothills where the weather is substantially cooler at 1,500 feet above sea level, and commands stunning views of the surrounding countryside, as well as some of the best sunset views in the country over the Gulf of Papagayo. The new sustainable community of Rancho San Roque has taken advantage of the wealth of natural resources, as well as the convenience offered by an international airport and proximity to a major town. We believe that these 1.25 acre lots are a tremendous value starting at $50,000.

Property Highlights:

* 37 titled lots

* 1,500 foot elevation offers much cooler weather than the Guanacaste coast

* Many nearby activities

* 40 minutes to Liberia international airport

* 30 minutes to Liberia city center — many shops and restaurants

* Permaculture design focused on self-sufficiency

* OWNER FINANCING AVAILABLE: $20,000 DOWN $608 PER MONTH FOR 5 YEARS

Property Description:

New sustainable community nestled in the foothills of Rincon de la Vieja volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica has 37 titled lots of 1.25-acres (5000M2) each. Pristine country setting in an area famous for nature-loving adventure sports like canopy tours, rappelling, horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, thermal baths, and much more. Only 30 minutes to Liberia center, 40 minutes to international airport, and less than an hour to Northern Pacific beaches.
Situated above 1500ft elevation with a cooler mountain climate, the majority of lots are flat and entirely usable while offering sweeping views of the Guanacaste countryside, the Rincon volcano, mountain ridges and sunsets over the Pacific.

The community is being developed in harmony with nature using the rich volcanic soil for a permaculture project creating edible forests, organic gardens, aquaculture ponds, and small livestock. The community center will include a pool, fitness center, sporting and wellness facilities.

The developers are offering special pricing of $50,000 per lot during the development phase. Developer financing is available for $20K down, $608/mth for 5 years. Excellent investment and beautiful setting for full-time natural living in Costa Rica.

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Nearly everyone living in Costa Rica can agree that the tropical climate creates problems with mold.  Mold has been linked to a variety of health problems, as well as smelling terrible, and restricting clear breathing.  For hotels and businesses the problem is compounded as these businesses rely on maintaining their image of cleanliness and health for their clients.

Until now nothing has been available in Costa Rica to kill mold permanently and keep foul smells from returning.  That has changed with the arrival of PERFECT AIR.   Director of Business Development, Wayne Byrd, has obtained the newest 4^th generation of air purifier, designed specifically for use in Costa Rica.  “There are many units available, but ours is the only one that has been designed to cope with the high humidity conditions of Costa Rica.”  Internal parts have been modified for durability and rust-free continued use.

The central technology is the use of ozone.  Ozone kills offending organisms of mold and bacteria, removing the source of the musty smell, as opposed to only covering it up as room fresheners will do.  Ozone is the strongest sterilizing agent known to man, yet it is safe because it is made up of simple oxygen, and thus completely reverts back from ozone to oxygen in a relatively short time period.  Because of the dual properties of ozone – its toxicity at high levels, and its basic foundation as safe oxygen – it is truly one of the safest and most powerful cleansing agents available.  In fact, ozone is the way that nature purifies the earth.  Now this wonder element has been harnessed to benefit indoor life as well.

Allergies and asthma sufferers also benefit from this process. Any odors such as cigar smoke, cooking odors, new building materials such as hardwood floors, and paint fumes are also removed.  If it smells, PERFECT AIR can make it go away.  Oftentimes, people use air conditioning to combat mold, but even a regular unit can cost up to $150 per month or more – and electricity rates continue to rise.  Whereas, PERFECT AIR offers their Perfect Air 5000 unit for maintenance, estimated to cost no more than $10 per month.

There have been warnings against the overuse of ozone in an occupied space, which is why the technicians at PERFECT AIR perform their High Ozone Shock Treatments with a large unit, run at full power, in an unoccupied space.  This is the process used for killing mold and bacteria, so it must be performed in its highest concentration.  As previously stated, the toxic levels of ozone do not linger; ozone naturally reverts back to healthy, clean, breathable oxygen within an hour.  Low-level concentrations are then established for ongoing maintenance, ensuring the continued benefits of a mold, bacteria, and virus-free environment.

PERFECT AIR is offering a 3-year 100% replacement warranty on their maintenance units.  An ongoing maintenance program is available for as little as $30.00 per month keeping any business or residence free from viruses, bacteria, germs, and mold.  Combined with low-use electric costs, for less than $40 per month this is one of the best and least expensive ways to ensure health and comfort, while actually saving money.

For more information about keeping your home or business in an optimal condition for promoting health and wellness, please contact Wayne Byrd, Director of Business Development, at 506-8814-0651 or 506-8377-4677 http://www.wekillmoldcr.com